The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged authorities to employ all available methods to free abducted university and secondary school students.
According to media reports, two female Microbiology students from Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara, and ten female secondary school students from Kachia LGA in Kaduna State were held captive.
Mr Vanessa Kwere, NANS Zone A’s Deputy Coordinator, Inter-Campus Affairs, delivered the plea in a statement to the media on Saturday in Birnin Kebbi.
Kwere made the comment immediately after a NANS team met with university administration after the union’s recent Zonal Convention in Jigawa.
He said that the call became necessary since the kidnapped students were under the care of the government and so remained government property.
“We were informed of the sad news regarding the abduction of two 200-level female scholars of the Microbiology Department, Federal University, Gusau,” Kwere stated.
“It is a truly heartbreaking incident, and we had to pay a solidarity visit to also sympathise with the institution on this incident.”
“We urge scholars to remain calm and continue to pray for the safe return of their brothers and sisters.”
According to him, the union met with the school’s administration, which included Prof. Ahmad Galadima, the Acting Vice Chancellor, who is also the university’s current Deputy Vice-Chancellor; Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof. Lawal Sa’ad; Deputy Dean, Student Affairs, Dr Tagba, and the Chief Security Officer.
Kwere said that at the meeting, they reviewed how the event occurred as well as the tactics being used by the college to retrieve the kidnapped scholars.
“The meeting was presided over by the pioneer Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and President FUBK, Comrd. Usman Ladan-Fakai and several NANS officials were present.”
“Among those present during the conference are Comrd. Vanessa Enoch Kwere, the Zone A Deputy Coordinator for Inter-Campus Affairs, and Comrd. Daniyalu Bello Mailafiya is the NANS Zone A Director of Special Duties. “There are also a number of stakeholders from the Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara axes,” he stated.
The deputy coordinator said that the Dean of Student Affairs had informed them of the university’s efforts to ensure the safe return of the kidnapped scholars.
He said that the acting VC also told them that the university was doing all possible to ensure security inside the school, and that frantic attempts were being made to recover the kidnapped students.
In a related event, the union voiced grave worry over the kidnapping of approximately ten female students from Kachia LGA in Kaduna State, who were pupils at Government Secondary School, Awon, according to early reports.
“It is very disheartening to learn about this incident, despite the fact that we are still concerned about the two 200-level female students of the Microbiology Department, FUGUS, who were abducted at their Hall of Residence.”
“Because of these recurring incidents, we are in constant turmoil; our governing bodies have failed to protect us from such a threat; students no longer feel safe in their institutions or anywhere at all.”
“This is what discourages and interferes with the educational process of Nigerian students; in the majority of these cases, the victims are always females; we’re fragile beings who are abducted, tortured, and explored.”
“We, the student representatives, demand a serious and immediate intervention from the Federal Government and all relevant security bodies; it is our right to feel safe wherever we are,” he urged.
